Hounds blow lead, rally to edge ACU in 11

March 28, 2013

ABILENE, Texas — Eastern New Mexico University's baseball team had things on cruise control in Thursday's Lone Star Conference series opener at Abilene Christian, then just like that the Greyhounds appeared to have blown it.

ACU took advantage of three consecutive one-out hit batsmen, two errors, a bases-loaded walk, Seth Spivey's three-run triple and Travis Schuutze's two-run homer to turn an 8-2 deficit into a 10-8 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Hounds then tied it on pinch-hitter Matt Spradlin's two-out, two-run single in the ninth and earned an 11-10 win on Brooke Brooks' RBI double in the 11th.

ENMU (17-10, 5-4 LSC) outhit the Wildcats 15-6, but almost couldn't overcome five walks, five hit batsmen — all by starter Brett Humphries — and six errors. Only one of ACU's runs was earned.

ACU took advantage of two two-out errors to score twice in the second inning, but Humphries managed to blank the Wildcats over the next five innings and carried a three-hitter into the eighth before things unraveled.

The Hounds took a 3-2 lead in the third, got a leadoff homer from shortstop Brett Ackerman in the fifth, picked up a two-run double from Luis Quinones in the seventh and added two more in the eighth.

Pruitt relieved Humphries after the three hit batsmen. Consecutive errors scored a pair of runs before Spivey's triple into the right field corner tied the score.

Spivey was thrown out at home on a ground ball to second baseman Rafael Romo, but Schuetze followed with his first homer of the season to left field.

In the ninth, Ackerman drew a one-out walk and took second on a groundout before Austin Palmer, the third of five ACU pitchers, walked Brooks and hit Colton Sims to load the bases. Spradlin then singled up the middle to tie it.

The teams complete the series with a 1 p.m. (MDT) doubleheader — both seven innings — today and a noon nine-inning contest on Saturday.